There has been so much rain in the mountains this year.. the wettest I have experienced.. Already, we have reached our annual rainfall averages..
This means there are lots of days that are rained out at the our shop.. and the streets are often quiet.
Nathan Baerreis is a gentle soul.. and a great photographer.. Sharing a little photo essay from his encounter with a fledgling on a quiet day Valley River Avenue in Murphy, NC....
Hope you enjoy it!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.546454212057233.1073741829.109160479119944&type=1
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Back on the Blogger
My goodness.. It has been a very, very long time since I posted on this blog.. So very much has happened. in the past seven years or so..
Short version is we are all happy and healthy, if a bit older.. Our gallery is now located in Murphy, NC, and it is a good fit. Phil & I are still doing the woodworking every day.. Our son and daughter are primary now - Lis with her metal and glass work - and Nathan with his beautiful photography and altered art pendants.
Grandson Gabriel is growing up and has sold his first painting - which is, I guess a Baerreis tradition.
Our website is still up and going but we are now very active on facebook - Designs by Baerreis . Nathan Baerreis Photography Gallery 26 is the name of our new venue - we are a year in the new location and are loving it!
I still enjoy making hair forks for women all over the world and welcome custom orders.
I know it has been a long time, but look forward to getting back into this and writing about our lives and what we do..
Short version is we are all happy and healthy, if a bit older.. Our gallery is now located in Murphy, NC, and it is a good fit. Phil & I are still doing the woodworking every day.. Our son and daughter are primary now - Lis with her metal and glass work - and Nathan with his beautiful photography and altered art pendants.
Grandson Gabriel is growing up and has sold his first painting - which is, I guess a Baerreis tradition.
Our website is still up and going but we are now very active on facebook - Designs by Baerreis . Nathan Baerreis Photography Gallery 26 is the name of our new venue - we are a year in the new location and are loving it!
I still enjoy making hair forks for women all over the world and welcome custom orders.
I know it has been a long time, but look forward to getting back into this and writing about our lives and what we do..
Monday, January 09, 2006
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Sneak Preview
August - Just whoosh and it is gone - My list of things not completed is growing, but my list of things done is growing, too.
We set a goal of finishing the remodeling of our web site by August 31 - did not make it...Click on "Sneak Preview" at the top to see the progress we have made.
But Phil did get our workshop moved (at least most of it!) We reconfigured the space behind the gallery/showroom, and he built an addition - including slab, walls, roof, wiring... I helped with building the doors, and moving the tools and work tables... So, now all of our cutting, assembling and finish work is in the same building as the gluing, shipping and selling! (also, Lis silver, glass, and enamel studios)
We moved in just about a week and a half ago - just before the dreaded Katrina. It was really hot work, but now we do not have to drive 13 miles to do the work, and back again to ship and sell...
It is a good thing. We should be able to do more of what we do - not crippled by distance.
Gasoline started rising on August 31 - within an hour the stations had gone up 40 cents - We are in a fairly rural area, and the purveyors here don't expect more gasoline for at least two weeks.
So, we are glad we can save the gas and the time.
I have just gotten the band saw box site about ready to go live. It is actually there now, but just not linked.
I will finish populating the site over the next few weeks as we get more things done.
We are praying for the poor. I am not a religious person, but I know that it is right and just to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, care for the poor, and love our fellow man.
The horrors in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast have "lifted the skirts" of America and shown the underlying poverty and our true colors. I would hope and pray our leaders will work with generosity of spirit to ease the suffering. We desperately need compassionate leadership in our country. It is not right to sit back and point at desperation with blame. We are better than that..
So, I am working on our new band saw, hair stick and kitchen site, and will be listing more on Amazon and ebay... and doing what little I can to help my neighbors to the south, east, north, and west... We need to love our neighbors as ourselves, and act to the best of our ability...
We set a goal of finishing the remodeling of our web site by August 31 - did not make it...Click on "Sneak Preview" at the top to see the progress we have made.
But Phil did get our workshop moved (at least most of it!) We reconfigured the space behind the gallery/showroom, and he built an addition - including slab, walls, roof, wiring... I helped with building the doors, and moving the tools and work tables... So, now all of our cutting, assembling and finish work is in the same building as the gluing, shipping and selling! (also, Lis silver, glass, and enamel studios)
We moved in just about a week and a half ago - just before the dreaded Katrina. It was really hot work, but now we do not have to drive 13 miles to do the work, and back again to ship and sell...
It is a good thing. We should be able to do more of what we do - not crippled by distance.
Gasoline started rising on August 31 - within an hour the stations had gone up 40 cents - We are in a fairly rural area, and the purveyors here don't expect more gasoline for at least two weeks.
So, we are glad we can save the gas and the time.
I have just gotten the band saw box site about ready to go live. It is actually there now, but just not linked.
I will finish populating the site over the next few weeks as we get more things done.
We are praying for the poor. I am not a religious person, but I know that it is right and just to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, care for the poor, and love our fellow man.
The horrors in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast have "lifted the skirts" of America and shown the underlying poverty and our true colors. I would hope and pray our leaders will work with generosity of spirit to ease the suffering. We desperately need compassionate leadership in our country. It is not right to sit back and point at desperation with blame. We are better than that..
So, I am working on our new band saw, hair stick and kitchen site, and will be listing more on Amazon and ebay... and doing what little I can to help my neighbors to the south, east, north, and west... We need to love our neighbors as ourselves, and act to the best of our ability...
Saturday, August 27, 2005
http://www.worldofebay.blogspot.com/
Visit this site to get the LATEST and find great links to products for sale on ebay from the Sellers Resource Group. From art and craft made by the sellers (like us) (wood, clay, ceramics, soaps, jewelry, needlepoint, perfumes...) to antiques, booksellers, collectibles, tools, hookahs, clothing, shoes, clothing, toys, puzzles, just too many things to list here...
We have our kitchen ware, (spatulas, boards, salad servers, and containers), a few of our art and puzzle boxes, and as always our wonderful hand crafted hair sticks....
You won't be disappointed in the products offered by this group of professional sellers!
We have our kitchen ware, (spatulas, boards, salad servers, and containers), a few of our art and puzzle boxes, and as always our wonderful hand crafted hair sticks....
You won't be disappointed in the products offered by this group of professional sellers!
Friday, July 29, 2005
My Response
To: Michael S. Miller Editor in Chief of Toledo Free Press
Hi Michael –
I read your op-ed in the Toledo Free Press regarding the Ann Arbor Art Fair. First, let me say, I appreciate your point of view. I can understand your anger as most Americans find their wallets woefully inadequate these days (maybe yours, as well). When you see things in the marketplace which are beyond your means, then it rightfully makes you angry – me, too. Ultimately, as you already know, the marketplace decides the value of things. If things are overpriced – they will not sell. Certainly, you did not purchase at the show. I would hope you might look a bit further into why you are angry, and examine the realities of the marketplace in the United States.
First, the economy is fueled by the middle class – people with good jobs who have a bit extra. Our middle class is evaporating as our jobs go away.
We as artists are struggling in America – we live in poverty, have no access to medical insurance, no retirement in our future - we live on the edge – all the time. Many of us are like the working poor, except that we don’t have a paycheck. We are not taking from the culture, we are adding to it.
Don’t blame the craftsmen and artists..
I cannot speak to the pricing of art in this show, but I CAN speak to what we have to do in order to survive as artists.
· First, the American artist has to get a living wage in order to survive. We have to pay rent, utilities, insurance, raw materials, tools and maintenance as well as transportation, and all the selling and display equipment and supplies.. In other words, it costs us just like it would cost anyone in “manufacturing”.
· Additionally, the way American Craft and Art are marketed has changed. We are competing with imported crafts and art for shelf space even within the fairs like Ann Arbor. Some of us “wholesale” and some of us “retail” and many of us have to have second incomes.
· Our markets (including art fairs) have been inundated with imported items. Our designs are picked up and copied by factories in China which are state run and employ forced labor (soldiers, prisoners, children, young girls). Not only are they working within an artificial monetary system which keep the prices low, they are paying no taxes, non-subsistence or NO wages, AND our large retailers are bringing in these products in direct competition with American made stuff.
As American jobs go away, the American middle class evaporates, the market for American Craft will become increasingly “skewed”. Look at it this way, if no one can afford an (essentially) unknown artist’s work for $100, then why not price it at $5000. So, the “unencumbered” artists you saw at that show, each and every one of them, started with a concept, gathered materials, created, finished, framed, labeled, packed, hauled, unpacked, created a nice display, dressed for selling, put their stuff out there, and manned their booth for a minimum of 10 hours a day.
Maybe your anger is misplaced. I am glad you and your family enjoyed the museum, and sorry that you experienced the rage at the art fair, even to the extent of publicly expressing it. I hope you feel better. But, are you attacking the wrong people? Many of the artists whose work you saw in the museum suffered in their lifetime.
Those paintings in the Toledo Museum are most likely valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and provide a tax write off to the wealthy people and organizations that put them on display for free to the “masses”. Corporations can give large gifts and endowments to fine museums to offset their tax liability. The profits are often at the expense of American jobs.
I might add, on a personal level, that we (craftsmen for over 30 years) are working harder for less than ever in our lives. And we are falling backwards. I am beginning to resent the affluence I see on the television, and second guess the choices in my life. I have become the old woman with knurled painful hands, who must continue to work in order to put bread on the table. I have given up on art shows, because they are most often not, and now sell my work in a “shed” gallery on the side of the road, online on my web site, on ebay, on Amazon, and through a few galleries. You might ask HOW do I supply all those venues? That is not a problem, my few sales on each add up to enough to sustain us… I price my work at the lowest price I can, without LOSING money.
Most sincerely,
Martha Baerreis
Designs by Baerreis
P O Box 397
Tellico Plains, TN 37385.
Hi Michael –
I read your op-ed in the Toledo Free Press regarding the Ann Arbor Art Fair. First, let me say, I appreciate your point of view. I can understand your anger as most Americans find their wallets woefully inadequate these days (maybe yours, as well). When you see things in the marketplace which are beyond your means, then it rightfully makes you angry – me, too. Ultimately, as you already know, the marketplace decides the value of things. If things are overpriced – they will not sell. Certainly, you did not purchase at the show. I would hope you might look a bit further into why you are angry, and examine the realities of the marketplace in the United States.
First, the economy is fueled by the middle class – people with good jobs who have a bit extra. Our middle class is evaporating as our jobs go away.
We as artists are struggling in America – we live in poverty, have no access to medical insurance, no retirement in our future - we live on the edge – all the time. Many of us are like the working poor, except that we don’t have a paycheck. We are not taking from the culture, we are adding to it.
Don’t blame the craftsmen and artists..
I cannot speak to the pricing of art in this show, but I CAN speak to what we have to do in order to survive as artists.
· First, the American artist has to get a living wage in order to survive. We have to pay rent, utilities, insurance, raw materials, tools and maintenance as well as transportation, and all the selling and display equipment and supplies.. In other words, it costs us just like it would cost anyone in “manufacturing”.
· Additionally, the way American Craft and Art are marketed has changed. We are competing with imported crafts and art for shelf space even within the fairs like Ann Arbor. Some of us “wholesale” and some of us “retail” and many of us have to have second incomes.
· Our markets (including art fairs) have been inundated with imported items. Our designs are picked up and copied by factories in China which are state run and employ forced labor (soldiers, prisoners, children, young girls). Not only are they working within an artificial monetary system which keep the prices low, they are paying no taxes, non-subsistence or NO wages, AND our large retailers are bringing in these products in direct competition with American made stuff.
As American jobs go away, the American middle class evaporates, the market for American Craft will become increasingly “skewed”. Look at it this way, if no one can afford an (essentially) unknown artist’s work for $100, then why not price it at $5000. So, the “unencumbered” artists you saw at that show, each and every one of them, started with a concept, gathered materials, created, finished, framed, labeled, packed, hauled, unpacked, created a nice display, dressed for selling, put their stuff out there, and manned their booth for a minimum of 10 hours a day.
Maybe your anger is misplaced. I am glad you and your family enjoyed the museum, and sorry that you experienced the rage at the art fair, even to the extent of publicly expressing it. I hope you feel better. But, are you attacking the wrong people? Many of the artists whose work you saw in the museum suffered in their lifetime.
Those paintings in the Toledo Museum are most likely valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and provide a tax write off to the wealthy people and organizations that put them on display for free to the “masses”. Corporations can give large gifts and endowments to fine museums to offset their tax liability. The profits are often at the expense of American jobs.
I might add, on a personal level, that we (craftsmen for over 30 years) are working harder for less than ever in our lives. And we are falling backwards. I am beginning to resent the affluence I see on the television, and second guess the choices in my life. I have become the old woman with knurled painful hands, who must continue to work in order to put bread on the table. I have given up on art shows, because they are most often not, and now sell my work in a “shed” gallery on the side of the road, online on my web site, on ebay, on Amazon, and through a few galleries. You might ask HOW do I supply all those venues? That is not a problem, my few sales on each add up to enough to sustain us… I price my work at the lowest price I can, without LOSING money.
Most sincerely,
Martha Baerreis
Designs by Baerreis
P O Box 397
Tellico Plains, TN 37385.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Woo-Hoo
Gee, we are so busy we can't figure out if we are coming or going. ,,, Our son George has moved on from the Bain mattox band - That is really a typical pattern for him - he sets a goal, reaches it and then it has to keep growing with him or he lets it go. He has moved back to his old haunts in Charleston, SC - works part time, and plays music every chance he can. He is working on new music, so we are looking forward to hearing it soon.
Our son Nathan and his wife saw an ultrasound yesterday. The little one was doing back flips and just seems to be getting on swimmingly!! (my little joke!) They got a real due date from the doctor and we are looking at becoming grandparents between Christmas and New Year! Amazing how that feels.... we had come to accept the relationship we had with our grown children! Now we will have to clean up our act and baby proof the house again!
Lis is taking a silversmithing class in Georgia - she is the craftswoman, and the artist - Her work is growing incredibly - and her studio as well. We enjoy seeing her develop and evolve her style. So comforting to watch as her customers return and return to add another piece! (she jokes that she is doing her best to support the family!)
Phil and I have decided to take the leap and sell some of our work to galleries. We had a few gallery accounts when we lived in Texas, and since then, we were just too busy making and selling to try to do any wholesale. Our web business is really up from last year. The shop in Coker Creek is as well, but we decided the economy is so iffy, we had better set up another basket to put our eggs in. We are already working like crazy, but I think we can handle it... especially if we are careful to offer items which will work well for galleries... so, look for our hair sticks and barrettes to come to a spa or gallery near you soon!!
The shade now is very deep when the sun comes out - the foliage is full. Hard to believe the days are getting shorter. I guess we will have a few tropical storm days, and lots more truly hot days. We still resist air conditioning, so we take lots of showers!
The blackberries are just starting to ripen, and the blueberries and huckleberries are next. Time to start picking and freezing - and drinking lots of tall clear glasses of ice tea!
Our son Nathan and his wife saw an ultrasound yesterday. The little one was doing back flips and just seems to be getting on swimmingly!! (my little joke!) They got a real due date from the doctor and we are looking at becoming grandparents between Christmas and New Year! Amazing how that feels.... we had come to accept the relationship we had with our grown children! Now we will have to clean up our act and baby proof the house again!
Lis is taking a silversmithing class in Georgia - she is the craftswoman, and the artist - Her work is growing incredibly - and her studio as well. We enjoy seeing her develop and evolve her style. So comforting to watch as her customers return and return to add another piece! (she jokes that she is doing her best to support the family!)
Phil and I have decided to take the leap and sell some of our work to galleries. We had a few gallery accounts when we lived in Texas, and since then, we were just too busy making and selling to try to do any wholesale. Our web business is really up from last year. The shop in Coker Creek is as well, but we decided the economy is so iffy, we had better set up another basket to put our eggs in. We are already working like crazy, but I think we can handle it... especially if we are careful to offer items which will work well for galleries... so, look for our hair sticks and barrettes to come to a spa or gallery near you soon!!
The shade now is very deep when the sun comes out - the foliage is full. Hard to believe the days are getting shorter. I guess we will have a few tropical storm days, and lots more truly hot days. We still resist air conditioning, so we take lots of showers!
The blackberries are just starting to ripen, and the blueberries and huckleberries are next. Time to start picking and freezing - and drinking lots of tall clear glasses of ice tea!
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